The Story of Dan and the Ugly Beauty
by PandasCanRead
Summary: Amy and Dan, now of age, was told by their grandmother, Grace Cahill, to find themselves a nice partner and the first one to find one get's a special prize. Who will win? And...What's up with Dan's new found partner? IanxAmy, DanxOC, DanxNatalie
1. Chapter 1: The Contest

What's up my fellow 39 Clues lovers?

TADA!

Here is the story I sort of promised in my profile!

Hope you all like it! I got the idea of the story from my sister. She likes telling me stories and she told me this one except it has different characters, because my sister has no idea what the 39 Clues is, and I will modify it a little because my sister's version of it had a sad ending…So….

This is the first chapter by the way! I was actually planning on making it a one shot but then I decided Hey! Why not make it 3 or 5 chapters long? :3

Enjoy the story! :)

**The Story of Dan and The Ugly Beauty**

**By: 39ninjas**

Disclaimer: I do not own the 39 Clues or anyone in it. I own nothing but the plot.

On the 23rd day of December, there, living in a cozy brick house that was no smaller than a log cabin and no bigger than your everyday modern house. In this house, there lived a man.

And that man was no other than Alistair Oh himself.

There, near the fireplace, seated on a large velvet chair, with his feet up and laid on a matching velvet stool, wearing a red velvet bathrobe and a fake pipe that shoots out bubbles in his mouth, was our delightful and wise Alistair Oh, relaxing on this cold and chilly day.

Alistair Oh just sat there, drinking some tea. Not minding his surroundings, until of course I hit him with a spoon.

"OW!"

There, now we got his attention.

Alistair turned around, his hand rubbing the back of his head. He looks at you, well…ME actually but now I gesture him to you and then he turns his direction towards you and smiles profusely.

"Welcome! Welcome! I see I have some guests here. Welcome to my humble abode. Well…My humble abode for now, I only come here when I feel like relaxing and taking a nice long break from being a comeback microwavable burrito magnet." He says and sips his tea.

"Now, I'm sure I know why you are all here." Alistair puts down his tea and leans over to his left side where he picks up this big brown book that was laying there underneath the oak table that was next to him.

He uses his hand to wipe some invisible dust off the book and then he gently placed it on his lap and looks at you with a beaming grin.

"You've come to hear a story, have you not?" he says. Alistair then opens the big brown book and flips some pages. After a few seconds of page flipping he finally ends up on page 324. He smiles and then looks back at you.

"Today, dear readers, I will be telling you a tale about a cheerful and mischievous boy named Dan and his kind and shy sister named Amy. You see, they were both taken care of by their loving grandmother named….Grace." he pauses.

"This is the story of Dan and The Ugly Beauty…" he declares before the whole scenery starts blurring and we all go into visual story mode.

…

Once Upon a time, (yes, I will start there…)

There lived a family; small but loved one another genuinely. This family was composed of two siblings, their grandmother and their noisy little baby sit- I mean au pair.

This grandmother was blessed with the name: Grace Cahill and the older female sibling of the two was named Amy Cahill while the younger male of the two was named Daniel Cahill or more known as 'Dan' and their loving au pair was named Nellie Gomez.

They lived in a quaint and quite little part of the forest which was close to the town but far enough to get away from the bustle. Grace, hoping to bring up her family and all, owned a small jewelry store in the town where she goes to every now and then. She and her deceased husband used to make them for a living, that is until her husband died did the business start to slow but then It got back on its feet when Grace hired new men to help her make more jewelry. Among these men were Eisenhower Holt, a close relative of theirs, and Fiske Cahill, her brother.

They lived a happy and normal life, that is, until Dan's 18th birthday.

One day, as Dan and was happily sitting on the couch—excited for his birthday—and Amy was reading a book on the dining table, Grace came along and gestured to the two siblings. "Amy, Dan—Today I will take you fishing out in the lake nearby." She said. Dan groaned in protest. "What? That's what we're going do for my birthday? Fish?" Amy smiled at Grace, even though she herself was quite hesitant in accepting the offer. "That was not a suggestion." Grace stated, quite darkly might I add. Dan and Amy nodded vigorously and quickly prepared for their fishing trip. Grace smiled.

_I still got it._

After everyone got ready and prepared the three of them, with the exception of Nellie since she was out managing the jewelry store in town, went out to the lake to begin their fishing trip.

As they sat in the quaint little fishing boat, Grace stared long and hard at the water, not even minding her fishing pole which was just there in her hands, unmoving. "Uhm…Grace?" Amy tapped her shoulder.

Grace flinched and turned to Amy with a stunned expression. "Oh dear, surprised me there…"

Amy raised a brow. Grace seemed to get her gesture because she immediately put away her fishing pole and fixed herself properly in the boat. Amy and Dan did the same and had their full attention on their grandmother. Grace cleared her voice and looked at her grandchildren calmly.

"Dan, I congratulate you of your becoming 18 this year. You are now a man and I am more than proud." She said with a sincere smile. Dan could feel a blush creeping on his face but he just smiled and looked kindly at his grandmother.

"And Amy, you are now 20 years old. Beautiful and charming lady you have become." Grace said. Amy smiled and Dan scoffed by her right, making Amy glare at him.

Grace continued. "Now that you two are already of age, I will now tell you about a little contest I've set for the both of you…"

Amy cocked her head to the side. "What contest?"

Grace turned her head to the water, contemplating what she was about to say.

"It's about time you two found your 'perfect match'." She said with a smile, stating the words _perfect match _in a humorous yet serious kind of way.

Dan raised a brow and backed up a little. "Okay, when you mean 'perfect match' you must be meaning that we have to find you, like, the best match to light up your new fireplace right?" Dan said, not excited about the true meaning behind Grace's words. Amy began blushing so much her whole face turned as red as a tomato.

Grace chuckled at Dan's silly antics. "No Daniel. When I mean 'perfect match' I mean the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with…"

Dan felt like barfing. Yeah sure, Dan was a man now, the manliest manly man in the whole manly world, but did that really mean he had to find a _girlfriend _already? Yuck.

Amy on the other hand felt devastated. If she had no luck talking or even making friends with people then how much luck did she have of even finding a suitable man to marry her? She just wasn't the kind of girl that could get any guy she wanted. Amy was just a shy, quiet, anti-social, stuttering, book loving, unattractive girl with no sense of fashion whatsoever. That didn't really sound like any guys type of girl to Amy.

Grace observed the reactions of her two grandchildren. She sighed and continued with what she was to say. "Okay…Here's the deal. The first one out of you two to find the perfect match for yourselves and have him/her accepted by me wins a very special prize…." Grace declared, her face serious. Dan and Amy looked at each other for a moment, their faces incredulous. "What' the prize?" Dan asked, his eyes held curiosity and mischief as he thought of himself winning the prize. Grace smiled.

"That will be revealed to the winner." She said. Dan's face turned to a frown and he huffed and looked away. Amy sighed and looked across the clear waters of the river. Amy felt at a complete loss. How could she possibly win this contest? She had no social skills whatsoever and her looks just weren't good enough for any guy. Dan on the other hand, well…..His looks are okay but his attitude could make any girl just want to run and hide. Dan's like a little kid who whines day in and day out about not getting his favorite piece of candy or an annoying monkey who just wants a freaking banana. But he had more of a chance than her.

Grace noticed Amy's troubled face and smiled tenderly at her. "Well, what are you two waiting for? If you two don't find a suitor within the end of the year then deals off! No one gets the prize!"

Then Dan abruptly stood up from the boat causing it to sway from the sudden movement. Amy gripped the side and steadied herself while Grace stayed seated, perfectly poised.

"Alright!" he said. "If I'm going win this prize I gotta work on my _suave charm skills…_" Dan said, he ran his hand through his hair and made an arrogant face. Amy stifled a giggle.

Then Dan turned around to meet his sister's face. "No hard feelings if I win, kay?" Amy smiled up at him and held out her hand. "Don't be too sure. But yeah, good luck." Dan held out his hand too and shook his sister's with great enthusiasm. Grace smiled at them thoughtfully and looked down at the water then to the fishing pole which was leaning over the boat, forgotten.

No catch today. Oh well.

Hey! Liked it? Hate it? Love it? Wanna kill it? Or Marry it?

More chapters coming up! This is just a few chapters long so I can still work on my fanfiction 'A Fight with the Vespers' easily along with it. :3 R&R!


	2. Chapter 2: Amy and the Beast

**Uhm….Hello. *almost gets hit by chair* Okay, okay! Sorry I've been gone so long. I had writers block and low morale so….Yeah. Sorry bout' that. Anyway, hope you continue to read this fic, sorry for the long wait and I will try to update more frequently. SORRY. *gives you big cookie* Hope you like this chapter! Happy Reading! :D**

**Disclaimer: For the last time, I DO NOT OWN ANY RIGHTS TO THE 39 CLUES. ALL OF IT BELONGS TO...Well...the authors and Scholastic and all that. :3 **

* * *

"Am I dead, Angel? Because this must be Heaven!"

…

...

…

Amy looked up from her book and quirked an eyebrow at Dan. Then she shook her head and returned her attention back to her book. "The girl will definitely scoff and walk away." She said.

"Fine! Hmmm….Wait." he said, holding up his hand for pausing emphasis. He then snapped his fingers together and turned to his sister in an attempted suave manner.

"Hello. I'm a thief and I'm here to steal your heart." He said with a wink. Amy tried, and ultimately failed, to stifle a laugh. Once she regained herself Dan was glaring at her. She wiped her eyes of the tears from laughing and looked at her brother. "She'll _definitely_ walk away."

Dan groaned and tried thinking through his other options. Then he turned to his sister again, putting on his suave face. He pushed some bangs away from his face, attempting to be smooth.

"Bond. James Bond."

…

…

…

"She'll slap you." Amy said, her face in an amused yet distorted expression. "Really hard."

Dan then decided it was time that he gave up on the constant practicing of cheesy pick up lines and plopped down on the couch next to his sister. "Man, I hate this. Who knew it would be so hard to get a girl…" Amy smiled at him and patted his back. "Trust me; it's much harder for someone who can't even speak two words to a guy in close perimeter. You should be lucky that you have the confidence to even communicate with the opposite sex while I can just…stare at a distance." Amy looked down sadly at her book which was now left closed with only her finger bookmarking the page she was at. Dan sighed.

"You do have a point there. But Amy…You are actually...Uhm….Er…..Well…Your not…really…_that_ bad looking so…I don't think you have to worry that much."

Amy ogled at her brother. She didn't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment but instead she decided to smile at him and hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Ditto." She said.

Grace then came walking down the steps of the stairs with a purse in her hand, all dressed up in her strolling clothes. "Come children, we shall go to the town today." She said. Dan hopped off the couch and gave an excited yelp. "Awesome! I can try out some of my pick up lines today!" he said, pushing away some bangs away from his face in a suave manner. Amy scoffed and walked past him to get to her grandmother's side. "We should buy some band-aids for him. Just in case." She whispered into Grace's ear. The old woman laughed and proceeded to walk out of the house with Dan and Amy following along.

**IN THE TOWN :3**

They finally arrived at town and stopped in front of a small yet classy looking jewelry store with a giant sign that said 'Grace's Jewels'. Amy, Dan and Grace all went inside and the whole shop jingled with enthusiasm as they swung the door open, causing the bell attached above the door to ring.

The girl at the counter of the store didn't even flinch at the sound. She was too preoccupied in listening to her iPod while reading some magazine. Grace sighed and walked over to her cashier girl. She then leaned forward, flicked out one earphone and yelled into her ear "NELLIE DARLING, I'M HERE!"

"OW!" Nellie leaped up from her chair with a yelp. She put the magazine down on the counter and glared daggers at her boss (even if she _was _her boss). "Grace! What's the big deal?" she yelled, rubbing her finger inside her ear. Grace snickered and went behind the counter. "Well, my dear Nellie. I just thought it would be more respectful for you to attend to the store without music blasting through your earlobes and to even greet your _boss _and her grandchildrenwhen they come in.

Nellie had a sheepish grin on and she lifted her hand up to scratch the back of her head. "But…I _was _attending to the store! You know how good I multitask!" she stated with a finger up for emphasis. Grace shook her head and walked over to the backdoor. "Yes, you listen to music while reading a magazine. You are a _master _at multitasking." Grace hollered from the back. Dan snickered and walked over to Nellie casually while lifting up her magazine. "What're you reading?" he asked as he looked through it. He scowled once he realized it was a girly teen magazine. "Ew. Just what everyone needs. The latest teen gossip on who's hotter: Edward Cullen or Jacob Black?" he said with a shiver. Amy shook her head and followed Grace over to the back of the store. She stopped at the doorframe when she saw Grace talking to Fiske while he was polishing some jewels.

Fiske looked up from the Sapphire he was currently polishing. "Amy my dear! Been a while hasn't it?" he smiled. Amy walked over to Fiske with a smile of her own and bent down to kiss him on the cheek. "It sure has Uncle Fiske!"

Said man made a face. "_Uncle _Fiske? Am I really that young to be considered an uncle now?" he flashed a cocky smile. Grace scoffed and hit him on the shoulder. "Well, should I call you Grandpa Fiske or Old man Fiske, then?" Amy said, her face adorning her mother's smile.

"I think Uncle Fiske will do." He said and slowly went back to his work. Grace laughed at her cunning brother and turned to Amy. "Dear," she said, "How about you go over to the library? Me and Daniel will just go and pick you up." Amy nodded enthusiastically and was about to be on her way when…

"Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see!"

On second thought… "Maybe you should bring Daniel with you Amy…Just in case…" Grace sighed. Amy nodded and turned to her _dweeb _of a brother.

Thankfully, the girl hasn't slapped him yet but that just left him room for one more stupid pick up line.

"If I could rearrange the alphabet, I would put U and I together."

Amy cringed, and before the poor woman could even lift up her hand to slap her brother full on the face, she grabbed his hand, quickly apologized to the unfortunate victim and made a quick run for it.

**SOMEWHERE ELSE: :3**

"ARE YOU CRAZY? DO YOU _WANT _TO GET FALCON PUNCHED ON THE FACE!" Amy yelled.

"Who said anything about Falcon Punches? I think she was going for a hard-on slap." Dan stated. Amy held her fist up, almost ready to falcon punch her brother herself.

Noticing this, Dan immediately held up his hands in a defensive form. "H-Hey! No need to be so aggressive-Ah, hey! Isn't that the library behind you?" Dan pointed. Amy then quickly spun around, hearts in her eyes, and dashed toward the large library complex.

Dan gulped. Sometimes he didn't quite understand his sister.

**~.~**

Amy's finger gently skimmed each of the books' spines as she walked until her hand stopped at a particular book near the end of the shelf. Amy smiled to herself and picked it up.

'Beauty and the Beast'. True that it was supposed to be a kid's story, for Grace had told it to her and Dan when they were only little children but Amy had always found a liking to this story. She didn't know whether it was because she loved how the plot was magnificently thrilling, whether it was how heartwarming the romance between the girl and the Beast was or because the story almost sort of applied to her.

No, not because the girl was just a normal town's peasant who loved to read and almost had brown hair that matched hers or how she strived and dreamed for a romance that could only be seen in fairytales. No, actually, Amy thought more of herself as the beast. Not because she had furry hair covering her entire body or that she loved to growl at old men stealing her roses and at pretty girls who trespass their homes but because…

No one has ever looked at Amy as….well, Amy. Like how no one looked at the Beast as the kind human he really was (at the end of the story anyway). With the exception of her family and Nellie. They've always seen her for her of course, because they were family, they lived with her throughout most of their lives and they've already seen each other's true colors. But as people from the outside, people who barely know her. No one really ever got to know Amy for who she really was.

'_Hey, isn't that Amy Cahill?'_

"_Grace Cahill's granddaughter? Yeah, what about her?"_

"_I've heard that she's a total bookworm."_

"_Yeah, I've heard that too. But she's way too into books you can't even see her face with all of them buried into it."_

"_Hahaha! Nice one. Besides, she might not even be that much of a looker."_

"_Yeah, she doesn't go out much. Just by the look of her you can guess she might not be that pretty."_

"_Think she's a snob too?"_

"_Nah, looks too reserved to be one. Probably a mute."_

"_Oh yeah, that makes sense."_

Amy closed her eyes remembering the conversation she overheard between those two jacka- JERKS. She remembered how she couldn't even bring herself to lift up her face from the book she was currently reading to even say anything to them or even get a look at their faces. She just sat there, as withdrawn as ever. No one outside her cozy family has ever really decided to get to know the real Amy that was hidden inside her ***** Shrinking Violet demeanor. Like the Beast, everyone who looked at him just saw him as a beast. Like Amy, everyone who looked at her just thought of her as that small dot in the crowd, that tiny little bud among other larger and prettier flowers.

Amy sighed and just clutched her book tightly in her hand. Maybe she could borrow it just _one more time._ The story always made her feel better whenever she was feeling this down.

Casually, she walked between the great shelves of the town library and made her way toward the checkout counter. As Amy looked over toward the desk her eyes widened. For some odd reason, there was an incredibly long line of people at the checkout desk, about 20-30 people, most of them girls and some not even carrying books. Amy leaned over to look at what was happening and what could possibly be causing such a ruckus and gathering of so many people. Rarely did Amy ever see so many people borrowing books at the library. Last time she saw this many people was during the Book Festival where if you continue to borrow books up until your stamp card has been fully stamped you could get a free gift basket with scented candles. What is up with people and scented candles anyway? I mean, seriously. They're just practically candles with…scent.

Another thing that made Amy more curious is to why there was squealing and giggling somewhere near the checkout counter. Could Mr. Riley be handing out free scented candles again?

Mr. Riley is the current librarian of the town and is a 73 year old man with a kind heart and an odd affiliation with…scented candles…Seriously.

Amy has always been close to that man. After all, Amy was one of the most book loving people in the entire town. She came to the library more than the librarian! He did like taking breaks and all that.

The squealing and giggling continued and Amy was beginning to get impatient. The line started moving then and Amy sighed in relief. The line was just stuck for a whole 5 minutes and she felt that the more she waited the more irritated she would get. She was already thinking about just running toward the checkout counter and just slamming the book down, ready to yell at Mr. Riley about his dam-CURSED scented candles and at the long line of girls (with a few boys) about how they should hurry up and bring an end to the dam-REALLY REALLY LONG LINE ALREADY!

On the inside Amy was raging like a wild bull, but on the outside she was just clutching her small hands on her book, her face red and her eyes glaring at the floor. She was so preoccupied with her incessant ranting inside her mind that she was unaware of the moving line, her moving forward and the whining of the previous female occupants of the line who were currently leaving.

Only when someone had coughed did Amy finally realize she was at the checkout counter already. She heaved a big sigh and gently (which was not part of the original plan) place the book on the counter. "Geez Mr. Riley, what was up with the long line of people? Especially girls. Did you bring your scented candles or dress up as Johnny Depp?" she smiled.

"Hmm…I don't think that would really be necessary." A voice, definitely not even close to the sound of a 73 year old man, spoke.

Amy blinked and slowly looked up from her book. She blinked once more.

.

.

.

Long Pause.

.

.

.

Even Longer Pause.

.

.

.

Blink.

.

.

.

Raise brow.

.

.

.

The man at the desk was DEFINITELY not Mr. Riley. There he stood, a man with olive skin, jet black hair, amber eyes and a badass demeanor that just spills of the phrase—Handsome Devil.

"Excusez-moi, madame but…"

Blink. Blush.

"…Borrow or Return?" asked a tired looking Ian Kabra.

* * *

***Shrinking Violet: **If you are aware of then you would now about the 'Shrinking Violet'. This is a painfully shy, quite, and withdrawn character in various books, shows, anime's and movies. So yeah...THAT pretty much describes Amy. (In the first parts of the book anyway. Ya know, character development and all that.)

***To Cuss or Not to Cuss?: **Yeah, I'm pretty sure you've noticed the parts in the story where Amy tries to say (or think) a bad word but it changes and turns into some other word? Well, thats me trying to decide whether to put cusses or not. This is Rated T and all but...I dunno. Guess I was trying to be funny? :D LAUGH WID MEH!

TA-DAH! END OF CHAPTER 2! So….yeah. Hope you liked it. And at the end when Ian says Excusez-moi, he's not saying it in an arrogant way. He's saying it in a real French like way. And no, Ian is not French in this fic, he's just trying to show off. 'Oh look at me and my knowledge of various languages~!' Yeah. Like that. Anyway, please bear with me. I've been gone a pretty long while and I really do apologize for that. Writers block and all and I promise that I WILL finish this story and also 'Fight with The Vespers' as well. Hopefully. :3 Thanks for all the support and reviews. Continue to do that. Sayonara~ :D

-39ninjas. :3


	3. Chapter 3: What a Pretty Gem!

Olah, dear readers. Here is the 3rd chapter of The Story of Dan and the Ugly beauty. Oh and there has been a mistake pointed out by LuLuLucian444 that Amy and Dan are 3 years apart in age. In the story I made Dan 18 and Amy 20 when really Amy should be 21. So sorry people! And thank you LuLuLucian444 for pointing it out! So, please just ignore that and continue reading.

**Also to ****Balletreader**** and the rest of you guys who have been wondering this: The setting of this story is based on the old medieval days. Think of the time in the Beauty and the Beast movie. Get it? So it's like the time where there were queens and kings and peasants and towns/villages and witches and handsome princes and pretty princesses.**

Love you guys! Hope you like this chappie! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own 39 Clues. Seriously.

* * *

The Story of Dan and the Ugly beauty

Chapter 3

What a _Pretty_ Gem!

By: 39ninjas

Amy continued to gape at the man standing before her. Her eyes wide and her face still a shade of crimson. She could hear her heart beat at a rapid pace and her body was stiff as she just stood there, her hands still grasping the book which was on the desk.

Ian raised a brow at the odd woman before him. She was making one of the weirdest faces he'd ever seen and the first weird face he'd seen since he got here. The rest of the girls that came and went usually had dumb smiles on their faces, sure their faces were just as crimson as hers right now but usually they would squeal and ask for his phone number (old style phone's people).

But this girl right here was just…_staring _at him. Like it was the first time she'd seen light. Then Ian inwardly smirked.

Well, I wouldn't really blame her. After all, I do shine with all my melting glory, of course.

But then after a while Ian realized that it had been a whole 5 minutes of her staring and him being the cocky bas-JERK he is to not notice. So, Ian swiftly tapped the girl on the shoulder. The girl flinched and her eyes blinked before she was able to go back to the real world. "W-Wha? Uhm…" she said, confused and still blushing. She then soon realized what she was doing and quickly apologized to him and to the irritated people behind her.

She then turned to Ian and gave her book to him. "B-B-Borrow…" she stammered.

Ian raised a brow but took the book nonetheless to stamp the inside.

"Name." he said. Amy flinched and looked up at him. "W-What?"

Ian sighed. "Your name. I need to write it down on the list so I can keep track of who borrowed the book." Amy blushed once more and nodded. "A-Amy Cahill…"

Ian looked down at the record and realized that her name had already been written many times, borrowing various other books but this book in particular was the most borrowed by her.

After writing her name Ian gently gave her back the book and looked at her face. The blush was gone but he couldn't really tell since she decided to hide her face with her bangs. She shakily took the book from him and hugged it to her chest.

"Th-Thank you…" she stammered again. Ian smiled. "You must be a very dedicated bookworm considering I see your name written on the record a lot." He said to her, his voice suave and holding a British accent.

"A-Ah…Yeah, that's right…Uhm…M-May I ask but…What happened to Mr. Riley? The m-man that was here before."

Ian's face then went blank as he stared at her. Amy began to feel small and squirmed under his gaze. She looked at him and realized his face had gone grim.

"I'm sorry but..." he said, his voice low. "He has already passed."

Then Amy just felt her whole stomach just fall into a deep dark pit. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, while the other clutched her favorite book.

The book that Mr. Riley himself gave to her at her second week in the library. Mr. Riley had been so close with Amy. He was like a grandfather to her and he had always been there for her and greeted her whenever she came in.

Now…Now he's…gone!

But he was perfectly healthy the last time she saw him!

"W-What! H-How? Wh-…Why? I….Ah….." she stammered, her voice beginning to crack as tears started to well in her eyes. Then…

Ian-The Jerk-Kabra, laughed.

Amy had to do a double take for her to understand what the situation was and when she finally calmed herself down a bit she raised her brow and looked at Ian incredulously. "Wh-What are you l-laughing about!" she said, her voice still quite low even if she was trying to yell at him.

Ian continued to laugh, his voice booming throughout the library that some of the occupants had begun to turn their heads. Amy's face blushed red again but not for the same reason as before but because she was just so fuming angry right now.

Then, the laughter started dying down and he began wiping his eyes due to some tears of joy. "I was just joking, love! But I must say that your expression was priceless!" he stated, his eyes still holding the same joy as Amy's face grew redder with added embarrassment. Then, as Ian began apologizing for his behavior—while still laughing a little—Amy clutched her book closer to her chest, swung on her heel and before she left and ran out of the library in anger…

She slapped that cocky bastard right on the face.

**(A/N: YAY! FIRST BAD WORD!)**

* * *

"Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?"

…

…

…

SLAP!

"Ow…Man, who knew courting could hurt so much?" Dan said as he rubbed his swollen cheek. He looked around, "Where the heck is Amy?" he said aloud.

Dan had already been to the library but found no Amy there, instead, he found this handsome (Dan is NOT gay), olive skinned guy at the front desk, rubbing his cheek which had appeared to be swollen. Dan had walked over to him and asked him if he had seen a girl about 5'4, red brownish hair, green eyes, holding a book, stuttering and slightly red in the face, and…Well, the conversation just played out like this really:

'_Aah…I have actually' Ian said, rubbing his swollen cheek._

_Dan leaned forward and slammed his hands on the desk. 'Really? Where is she?' he asked._

_Ian backed up a little and let his hand which was on his cheek fall to his side. 'Unfortunately, your too late. She already left.' He replied. _

_Dan heaved a sigh. 'Aw man!' he whined. Ian looked at him from head to toe and asked, in the most casual voice ever, 'You her boyfriend or something?'_

_It took a while for Dan's brain to process his words before he bolted right up and jumped away from the desk, surprising Ian greatly. 'EWWWW! NO WAAAAAY! EWWWWWW! I'M HER BROTHER! EWWWWW!' Dan yelped, holding his hands in front of him. _

_Ian looked around in panic and noticed that all of the occupants in the library had turned their heads towards Dan and him with a glare. Ian immediately leaned toward Dan, reached his body as forward as possible and quickly slapped his hand against Dan's mouth, shutting him up. _

_Unfortunately, Ian's position looked absolutely painful judging from the fact that since Dan was far-off from the desk forcing Ian to have to lean all his weight forward leaving half of his body to be lying on the desk as his groin area was agonizingly slammed upon the edge of the rectangular counter. _

_'Ughhhh….' Ian groaned in pain. Dan stared at him in awe and slapped his hand away from his mouth. 'Well…See ya dude! I gotta go find my sister!' Dan ran away and before he reached the exit he yelled a 'Thanks for the Help!' as Ian simply glared at the floor in pain, now lying upon the desk like a dead cow would be before getting butchered. 'Stupid… Ugh…Summer job….Stupid…Village…people….Stupid…Mother…' he groaned as he tried to stand back up again, resulting in a painful aftereffect._

Dan sighed, defeated. Where was Amy? If Dan didn't come back to Grace with her in tow she was going to have his head.

He looked around frantically and deciding it was time to do a _thorough _search of his sister he began running around, looking behind every bush, going into every store and asking anyone if they've seen a reddish brown haired girl nerd reading a book.

Not the most descriptive depiction but it would have to do. Dan began to worry, it was already 4 in the afternoon and Grace was expecting them back around 4:30 so they could get back to their home by 5:00. He searched even more frantically, going so far as to look under the tables of various restaurants.

Dan panted, it had been 15 minutes and still no sign of his sister. Dan was about to give up when a thought popped into his mind.

…

…

…

Maybe he should check Grace's Jewelry store. Yeah, Brilliant Idea.

So, with a heavy sigh, Dan walked all the way back to the Jewelry store in hopes of finding his lost sister.

**5 MINUTES LATER:**

"Where have you been! Me and Grace have been worried sick!" Amy yelled at her exhausted looking brother and put her book down.

Dan glared daggers at her.

"Where have _I been? _Where have _you_ been!" Dan yelled. "I've been looking everywhere for you! I even went inside a few restaurants and looked under the tables just to see if you were there! Then I got chased out by the chefs and barely missed various sharp kitchen utensils being chucked at me! Seriously! I even got into this awkward situation with the new attractive looking librarian who thought I was your boy friend! I mean…EW!" at this, Amy's eyes widened.

"And now, YOU of all people are asking ME where I'VE BEEN? Did _you _and Grace look behind bushes? Under tables? Get bird poop—" he brushed at his right shoulder. "—smothered on your clothes? NO? Well then _that _sucks!"

…

A moment of awkward silence filled the room. Dan huffed and gasped for air after his little outburst.

…

…

"Dan…Dan I'm so sorry. I was just…Why didn't you check the jewelry shop in the first place anyway? I mean, didn't you think this'd be the first place I'd go back to?" she asked. Dan was silent for a while before he stood straight and had a distant look on his face. "Hmmm…Oh yeah….Er…" Amy sighed. Of course…Dan was classified as only one phrase.

_11 year old boy in an 18 year old body._

"Daniel, if you are calm now then maybe you can help close up the shop?" Grace then entered the room from the backdoor. Dan sighed and grumbled incoherently before walking past Grace and into the backroom to find the keys.

But as he entered, he found something quite eye catching.

...

"This is your uniform. You wear this starting tomorrow, got it? Also, you get here at exactly 8 o' clock sharp and just, you know, do stuff that cashier girls do. Understand Kitty?" Nellie informed the girl before her.

"How many times have I told you, you insensitive commoner, that my name is not _Kitty. _It is Natalie Kabra, Understand?"

She was just a head shorter than Nellie and Dan and had this aura about her that just screamed '_I'm a rich brat that's too good for anything you throw at me._'

She had long jet black hair reaching to the middle of her back, her eyes were the color of glowing amber, her skin was a soft olive color and she was the perfect picture of 'elegant' and 'beautiful' but Dan thought she could have done better without the deepening scowl on her face.

Nellie noticed Dan ogle at her and silently kicked him in the shin. "Kitty, I'd like you to meet your boss' grandson who is also technically your boss too, Daniel or most known as Dan and Dan, I'd like you to meet Kitty—erm, _Natalie_. She's going to work here from now on as my replacement since I'm going to go back home to take care of my dad given that he's kind of sick now." Nellie introduced.

"Actually, she's about your age Dan." Nellie suggested with a wink.

Natalie looked at Dan from top to bottom and raised an eyebrow at him. Dan stayed silent for a moment and continued to stare at Natalie, he was so mesmerized by her eyes and how cute she looked being shorter than him yet the same age. He smiled goofily at her.

"Erm…H-Hi. Me Dan…and…and…James Bond." Dan inwardly slapped himself. He must've sounded like an ultimate loser right now.

Then, Natalie laughed. Oh, how her laughter was like music to Dan's ears. He smiled at her while scratching the back of his head. _Maybe she's not so bad…_Dan thought. _This might actually work out! _

"So this is what they call the Village Clown." Natalie said. "The uneducated, hilarious, lout that everyone seems to enjoy talking to. How…_refreshing_."

-_NOT._

"Hey! Listen here you stuck up bitch! _I'm _your boss and you are not allowed to talk to me that way!" Dan yelled. Nellie disappeared into the background, not wanting to be part of the crossfire.

"So what are you going to do then? Fire me? That would be wonderful sir! I'd rather get fired then be stuck in this cubby little shack with an oaf like you!" Natalie retorted, her hands gripping the newly ironed uniform given by Nellie a while ago.

A vein popped on Dan's forehead. How dare this girl here insult him and his beloved grandmother's store! This was a _jewelry store _not a shack!

"Oh really now? Well, then in that case, how about I spare you from being jobless and just let you have this job. PERMANENTLY." Dan hissed at her. The girl before him gasped in horror and clutched the uniform closer to her chest.

"You…You…" she heaved as her face went red. "You…YOU BLOODY-MINDED BLIGHTER!" she bellowed.

"I'M A _WHAT_!" Dan retorted back in anger.

"YOU SLIMEY BERK! BLOODY PLONKER! TYKE! MUPPET! GROTTY ARSEHOLE!" she kept yelling.

Then, Dan's eyes widened at the word 'arsehole' . Oh, he knew what _that _meant. The rest is…pretty much unknown to him.

"OH YEAH? OH YEAH? WELL THEN YOU LITTLE…LITTLE…Er…" Dan was starting to run out of ideas on insults and didn't want Grace and Amy to hear him in the other room.

"Tch. No matter how many times you cuss at me, or…whatever you were doing, I don't give a damn. You're staying!" Dan said, smugly. Then, he leaned forward, his mouth right next to her ear. His breath against the shell of Natalie's ear caused her to shiver slightly.

"Short, flat-chested witch." He whispered.

Natalie's eyes widened.

* * *

"What is Dan doing in there?" Amy asked, her patience was thinning and she just wanted to get home as soon as possible. Grace yawned and continued to clean the glass of the display case.

Amy groaned and was about to open the door to the backroom when Nellie suddenly took her arm. "Uhm…I wouldn't do that if I were you." Nellie warned, her face nervous. Amy cocked her head to the side in question. "Why not?"

Nellie looked away for a while before turning to Amy with a sheepish smile. "Your brother's just…helping out the new employee is all and…well—"

"Helping the new employee? Oh dear. We better go help him." Grace said, putting down the cloth and walking over to the door.

"No! I think Dan can take care of himself in there."

_**SLAP!**_

All heads turned toward the sound heard from inside the backroom. Amy gulped and Nellie squeaked in fear. "Okay, we're going in." Grace alleged before entering the backroom.

...

There, standing in the middle of the room was Dan Cahill himself and Natalie Kabra, the new employee.

Dan had a bright red hand mark stamped onto his face, his eyes wide in astonishment while Natalie was fuming in anger, her hand still raised in the air. Grace looked in between them in horror.

"Hmph!" Natalie huffed before exiting the backroom. "I'll be here tomorrow. 8 am. But don't expect me to be smiling at all the customers." She said. Grace sighed and glanced at her grandson.

He was gritting his teeth and clutching his fists. Oh she hoped to the heavens he wasn't going to make another scene.

"HEY! COME BACK HERE, FLAT CHEST! WE'RE NOT DONE YET!" Dan roared, pointing at her through the open door. Natalie glared at him from the main entrance near the glass door and stuck her tongue out toward him.

Amy placed a firm hand onto her face and sighed in defeat. Her brother could be such a fail sometimes. Next, she steadily walked out of the back room and behind the counter, choosing to stay away from Dan and the new girl's quarrel.

It looked like Natalie was about to bite back at Dan when suddenly, the door swung open causing the bells to jingle and informing everyone of a new visitor. Natalie turned around to look at the person and sighed in relief.

"Brother! Where have you been? I've been waiting for hours!" Natalie whined.

Amy's eyes widened.

Dan raised a brow.

Grace blinked.

Nellie wolf whistled.

"Natalie, I'm at the exact time you told me to be here. Are you alright?" Ian Kabra asked his younger sister.

_Why…Me…? _Amy looked down in defeat.

* * *

"That…That…COMMONER insulted me brother! He thinks he's all that just because he's my boss!" Natalie complained. Ian sighed and looked to the others but stopped at a certain red haired girl standing at the back of the counter, trying to hide her face with the book she just picked up.

A book Ian knew all too well.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here. Hello there, love." Ian said courteously. Amy groaned from behind her book and slowly let it down, revealing two pairs of emerald orbs. She faced Ian's handsome smile and tried to bite back a blush.

Natalie looked at the two of them from between and cried out in frustration.

"Ian! I want to go home. _Now._" Natalie whined and took Ian by the arm, dragging him out of the store. Ian winked and waved goodbye. "See you again, love."

Amy grunted and hid her face into her book again. Dan looked at her, bewildered.

"Oh my gosh, guys. That was one _hot _guy." Nellie fawned and started giggling.

Amy screamed into her book which caused everyone to jump.

They rarely saw Amy like this and Dan was getting incredibly worried. What did his sister have anything to do with that good-looking librarian guy? And to top it all off, that good-looking librarian guy was actually related to that…that…witch?

Dan shuddered. He swore, he was definitely going to get back at her for that slap.

Grace sighed and looked at her watch. "Okay kids, its half past 5 so we better get moving. Dan's eyes widened. Late already…? Man, he had no idea how long he was arguing with that demon chick.

Amy nodded and timidly followed after Dan and everyone else into the carriage where they were going ride to get back home. Amy clutched her book closer to her chest.

_She wasn't going to let that guy stop her from reading her books! _

…

…

…

…

_So his name was Ian… _Amy smiled.

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter people. Now I'm starting to think about the plot and decide to change some things but then if I do…I might ruin the whole meaning of the story so maybe I should think this over with my beta reader. Wherever she is…**

**Oh yeah, and the whole thing with Natalie and the British insults are...well...I thought it would be awesome and I got all those insults from . Please avoid using that language at all costs, it's...well...you know...bad. So...Yeah.**

**I don't know why I'm so awkward...**

**Anyway...**

**So, read and review and all that crap. Meh… :)**


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